Robert Maloy

Torrey Trust

Welcome to “Students, Teachers, and, Chatbots: Learning Plans for Exploring Civic Issues with GenAI!” In this monthly series, you will find classroom-ready learning plans to use as you explore different civic engagement issues and topics with students. Each learning plan is connected to one of the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Standards for Students.

You can find more of these learning plans in our free online companion for our new book, AI and Civic Engagement: 75+ Cross-Curricular Activities to Empower Your Students. We hope you will find these plans engaging, and we welcome your ideas and suggestions.

AI-Enhanced Learning Plan: Democracy vs Algocracy

Imagine you have to vote in a school, local organization, community, state, or national election about a much debated and highly controversial issue. Someone proposes that instead of engaging in lengthy and potentially bitter debates, the group just let AI decide for them. What would be your response?

The question is no longer hypothetical. There are groups and government organizations in other countries that are turning over decisions about policies to AI chatbots. There is even a term for AI decision-making called “Algocracy” or government by algorithm.

Will chatbots make better decisions than elected political leaders or citizen voters? Many people now believe so. Across people in 35+ countries and speaking seven different languages, those surveyed were 30 percent more likely to see chatbots acting in their best interest and making better policy decisions on their behalf (Tech and Social Cohesion, 2025).

Letting chatbots make public policy decisions is known as “Algocracy” or “government by algorithm” (Thompson, 2022). The appeal of this idea is not hard to understand. People in country after country express distrust of politicians and political systems while also believing in the objectivity and efficiency of computer programs. Since chatbots are already proving they can make medical decisions at rates that can exceed those of human doctors, why wouldn’t chatbots do a better job of deciding where to spend money and allocate scarce resources?

Critics of algocracy are quick to point out that chatbots are not neutral tools. They function based on the datasets on which they have been trained, and that information has been shown to have alarmingly large amounts of misinformation and deep cultural, gender, racial, ability, and language biases (learn more).

Moreover, chatbots are “black boxes,” meaning users do not know how the systems actually make decisions. While how chatbots make decisions is invisible, the actions of elected representatives are matters of public record. Online and in print, you can research how your senator, representative, town or city council member, mayor, or other elected officials voted on the issues and you can write to them to express your views, for or against, their actions.

So what role, if any, should AI play in making decisions in democratic settings? Two former Google executives have proposed “rather than replace democracy with A.I., we must instead use A.I. to reinvigorate democracy, making it more responsive, more deliberative and more worthy of public trust” (Schmidt & Sorota, 2025, para. 3). This activity explores ways that AI can promote democracy and democratic decision-making while strengthening people’s participation in government and society.

Learning Goal Students will build their civic knowledge by exploring the real world issue of Algocracy.

• ACTIVITY 1: Using GenAI to Make Decisions for a Day (or an Hour)
  • Pick one day, one class, or one hour, and let GenAI make all the decisions for the class about what to do.
    • Example Prompt: “Respond yes or no and explain your reasoning for the following question from my 7th-grade students: Should we read Hamlet today or play Roblox?”
  • At the end of the day, class, or hour, invite students to reflect on their initial response to the student engagement question (“If a decision needs to be made, would you rather vote on it or have an AI chatbot decide?”) and whether they would change their response based on their experience asking GenAI to make decisions for them.
  • Then, have students research the concept of algocracy and current examples of AI decision-making by elected officials.
    • AI candidate running for Parliament in the U.K. says AI can humanize politics.
    • The World’s First AI-Powered Minister Tests the Future of Government.
    • The world has its first AI government official.
  • Finally, invite students to write a letter to their local town or state government in favor of, or in opposition to, this concept.
• ACTIVITY 2: Critical Analysis of AI Decision-Making in Government
  • Invite students to research and then discuss the following questions:
    • How could the biases embedded in data shape political decision-making from AI systems?
    • How might AI-generated hallucinations affect governmental decision-making?
    • Who might benefit from AI decision making in government or an algocracy?
    • Who might be harmed from AI decision-making in government or an algocracy?
    • How might AI decision-making shift power dynamics within government? Who gains new forms of authority, and who loses it?
    • If an AI system makes an unjust or harmful decision, who should be held accountable (e.g., AI system developer? government officials?)
    • Who is more trustworthy? A politician or an AI system? Why?
  • Then, based on their research and discussion,

Reflection Questions

• What role do you think AI systems will play in governmental decision-making 30 years from now? What about 100 years from now?
• How might AI-driven governance shape or reshape democracy?
• Would you vote for an AI candidate over a human candidate? Why or why not?
• Could heavy reliance on AI governance discourage civic engagement or participation? Why or why not?

AI Literacy Questions

• If you were to build an AI system to make decisions for the government, what data would you use to train the system? How would you reduce hallucinations? What safeguards would you put in place? What other ethical considerations would guide your design?
• If GenAI systems can process far more information than humans, does that make it a better decision-maker? Why or why not?

ISTE Knowledge Constructor Criteria Addressed

• 1.3.a Effective Research Strategies. Students use effective research strategies to find resources that support their learning needs, personal interests, and creative pursuits.
• 1.3.b Evaluate Information. Students evaluate the accuracy, validity, bias, origin, and relevance of digital content.
• 1.3.d Explore Real-World Issues. Students build knowledge by exploring real-world issues and gain experience in applying their learning in authentic settings.

References

Citizens.IS. (2025). Better Reykjavik. https://www.citizens.is/portfolio_page/better_reykjavik/

National Council of State Legislatures. (2022, January 4). Initiative and Referendum Overview and Resources. https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/initiative-and-referendum-overview-and-resources

Nwanevu, O. (2025). The right of the people: Democracy and the case for a new American founding. Penguin Random House.

Schmidt, E. & Sorota, A. (2025, November 16). This is no way to rule a country. The New York Times Sunday Opinion, p. 4).

Schofield, M. (2025, November 27). Ten ballot questions clear key hurdles. Greenfield Recorder, pp. A1, A10.

Tech and Social Cohesion. (2025, September 13). More people trust chatbots than elected leaders. https://techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/more-people-trust-chatbots-than-elected

Thompson, J. (2022, November 28). Algocracy would replace politicians with algorithms. Should we try it? Big Think. https://bigthink.com/thinking/algocracy-algorithm-government/

Resources

Apertus Isn’t (yet), the Win You Think It Is. Maxime Grenu. LinkedIn (September 2, 2025).

• Assesses Switzerland’s efforts to build an ethical large language model for the public good, trained on only publicly available content.

Author Bios

Torrey Trust, Ph.D. is a Professor of Learning Technology in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her work centers on empowering educators and students to critically explore emerging technologies and make thoughtful, informed choices about their role in teaching and learning. Dr. Trust has received the University of Massachusetts Amherst Distinguished Teaching Award (2023), the College of Education Outstanding Teaching Award (2020), and the International Society for Technology in Education Making IT Happen Award (2018), which “honors outstanding educators and leaders who demonstrate extraordinary commitment, leadership, courage, and persistence in improving digital learning opportunities for students.” More recently, Dr. Trust has been a leading voice in exploring GenAI technologies in education and has been featured by several media outlets in articles and podcasts, including Educational Leadership, U.S. News & World Report, WIRED, Tech & Learning, The HILL, and EducationWeek. http://www.torreytrust.com

Robert W. Maloy is a senior lecturer in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he coordinates the history teacher education program and co-directs the TEAMS Tutoring Project, a community engagement/service learning initiative through which university students provide academic tutoring to culturally and linguistically diverse students in public schools throughout the Connecticut River Valley region of western Massachusetts. His research focuses on technology and educational change, teacher education, democratic teaching, and student learning. He is co-author of AI and Civic Engagement: 75+ Cross-Curricular Activities to Empower Your Students, Transforming Learning with New Technologies (4th edition); Kids Have All the Write Stuff: Revised and Updated for a Digital Age; Wiki Works: Teaching Web Research and Digital Literacy in History and Humanities Classrooms; We, the Students and Teachers: Teaching Democratically in the History and Social Studies Classroom; Ways of Writing with Young Kids: Teaching Creativity and Conventions Unconventionally; Kids Have All the Write Stuff: Inspiring Your Child to Put Pencil to Paper; The Essential Career Guide to Becoming a Middle and High School Teacher; Schools for an Information Age; andPartnerships for Improving Schools.

About Rachelle

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, with a research focus on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!

Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of ten books, including ‘What The Tech? An Educator’s Guide to AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse and More” and ‘How To Teach AI’. In addition, other books include, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.

Contact Rachelle to schedule sessions about Artificial Intelligence, AI and the Law, Coding, Cybersecurity, STEM, AR/VR, and more for your school or speaking event! Submit the Contact Form.

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